Wimbledon school crash: Girl, 8, and woman in 40s fighting for their lives as driver bailed

n eight-year-old girl and a woman are both fighting for their lives in hospital after a horror crash that killed a pupil at a Wimbledon ^[1] school ^[2].

The tragedy unfolded when a Land Rover ^[3] smashed through a fence at The Study Prep School on Camp Road shortly before 10am on Thursday, ploughing into an outdoor end-of-term party.

Scotland Yard said on Friday afternoon that the driver of the car - a 46-year-old woman from Wimbledon, has been released on bail. She had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

An eight-year-old girl was killed in the tragedy, while another 15 children ^[4], parents and carers were injured.

In an update on the major incident, police confirmed an eight-year-old girl remains “in a life-threatening condition”, while a woman in her 40s is “critical”.

A seven-month-old girl, and the driver of the car were among others taken to hospital following the crash. Their conditions have been assessed as not life-threatening.

The driver of the car stopped at the scene of the crash, where she was arrested.

A police spokesperson said on Friday: “She has been bailed pending further enquiries to a date in late July.”

Scotland Yard says officers are “keeping an open mind” as they continue to investigate the crash.

Moving floral tributes have been left at the school, with parents holding a bedside vigil for their injured children.

Teachers, parents and neighbours have visited the scene to pay their respects, where around 25 bunches of flowers, a stuffed toy of a dog and candles have been placed.

Among them was a woman wearing a blue sling around her arm who left a note at the scene saying: “Dear Selena, you will always be our shining star. We will miss you so much.”

She paused to look at the flowers and was consoled by a man she was with.

Another card left with flowers had the message: “So sorry for the loss to the school and family. Forever in our thoughts.”

Parents were called to the school to pick up their children with some told they had been caught up in the incident.

They were seen jumping in ambulances with them and remained at their bedside on Friday.

A Land Rover Defender is seen inside the grounds of The Study Preparatory School in Camp Road, Wimbledon
/ PA Wire
Pupils at the £16,000-a-year school had been having an outdoor party to celebrate the last day of the summer term when tragedy struck.

Paramedics said that 16 patients were treated at the scene, 12 of whom were taken to hospital.

The horrific scene confronting emergency services after the collision was laid bare by images which showed debris from the picnic strewn across the school field with the Land Rover crumpled after eventually hitting the school hall.

A witness told the Standard: “I heard a bang and a scraping of metal then screams that were so shrill. It was horrendous. There was crying and wailing. I’ll never forget it.”

In a statement on Thursday evening published on its website, The Study Preparatory School said: “We are profoundly shocked by the tragic accident this morning at Wilberforce House and devastated that it has claimed the life of one of our young pupils, as well as injuring several others.

“Our thoughts are with the bereaved family and with the families of those injured at this terrible time. It is still far too soon to fully understand what happened, but we are well aware of the significant impact this dreadful event will have on our pupils and their families.

Wimbledon School Car Crash | Tributes

“Their welfare remains our top priority and we will be doing everything we can to support them, especially those who suffered injuries.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Clair Kelland, local police commander for south-west London, said: “This is tragic news and our thoughts are with the girl’s family and friends, and everyone affected today.

“We remain at the scene and are continuing our investigation into the full circumstances of the incident.”

Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond said pupils at The Study were having a party when the incident happened.

The Conservative politician said: “I think it was a usual end-of-year celebration party. Just in the garden,” said the Conservative politician.

“As I understand it, they were inside the school but outside the classroom.”

Responding to a question at the scene, John Tucker, chair of the school’s governors, said: “You’ll perhaps appreciate that the school community is profoundly affected by this tragedy and at the moment we’re really not in a position to make any further comment about it.

“We’ll be in communication with all those in the community about the further steps that we as a school will take.”

Chief Paramedic Dr John Martin from the London Ambulance Service ^[5] told reporters at the scene: “We dispatched multiple resources including specialist critical care paramedics, London’s air ambulance and 15 ambulances.

“We declared a major incident. We treated 16 patients on scene. Sadly, as we’ve heard, one eight-year-old girl died.”

It was earlier reported that the Land Rover was being driven by a woman who suffered a medical incident.

References

^{^} Wimbledon (www.standard.co.uk)
^{^} school (www.standard.co.uk)
^{^} Land Rover (www.standard.co.uk)
^{^} children (www.standard.co.uk)
^{^} London Ambulance Service (www.standard.co.uk)